


(our constant truth) we will never fade

by bokayjunkie



Series: i can still recall (summer of '17) [6]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, F/M, OlicityHiatusFic, OlicityHiatusFic-A-Thon, also includes a couple of doctor who references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-11-29 10:58:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11439429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bokayjunkie/pseuds/bokayjunkie
Summary: Felicity encounters a mysterious stranger in her home except… he’s not so much of a stranger to her at all. In fact she knows him very well, but he is still ever bit as mysterious.for the olicity hiatus ficathon prompt: unintentional discovery





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know if this can even be considered a submission considering how late it is (oops!). This story just got the best of me and it got a mind of it's own. So much so that I had to divide it up, which is the reason for the delay. (that and i procrastinate, sorry) But I really wanted to get this out, so here's the first part, I hope you enjoy!
> 
> This takes place in season 2, between 2x14 and 2x15
> 
> I would like to thank [@intolauren](http://archiveofourown.org/users/intolauren) for always being my wonderful beta and cheerleader. And for accommodating my lateness (seriously guys my work schedule has been hindering my writing schedule) you help make sense of my story, not just with the grammar but with how it develops.
> 
> And a big thanks to [@thebookjumper](https://thebookjumper.tumblr.com/) for curating this ficathon and giving me the inspiration! :D

It takes Felicity almost an hour after arriving home to realize something feels off. It’s the kind of feeling you get when you think someone’s watching you. She tries not to let the paranoia start; to think of something rational. She’s at home and she’s safe and if there was anything awry in her apartment then she would know as she and Diggle spent an inordinate amount of time making sure her security system is the best.

But something about this feels different.

Being part of a crime fighting vigilante team for the past two years, Felicity has become more acute with trusting her instincts. Something about this doesn't feel like some punk kids loitering in the alleyway located just outside her window causing some disturbance. This makes the hair on the back of her neck stand on end and that alone makes her infinitely more aware of her surroundings.

With a frown, Felicity puts the tablet down on the side table and stands from the couch. She walks over to the window in her living room and peeks through the blinds.

Nothing but the darkness of Starling City.

She tries not to let her imagination run wild. It’s probably all in her head, just some leftover thoughts from the mission they successfully completed earlier in the evening.

Either way, she closes the blinds and draws the curtains as well, blocking out any sights of the outside world. Just as she turns to make her way back to the couch, Felicity catches something in the corner of her eye. Or at least she thinks she does.

There go the goosebumps again.

Her head swivels from side to side, looking around her dimly lit apartment. She only has one lamp turned on, the one that’s on the side table next to her couch and everything else is dark. The hallway leading to her bedroom and bathroom is in complete darkness and yet… looking over there, something churns inside her.

Felicity’s heart-rate increases at the thought that someone could be lurking in her home right now. She knows that the first thing she should do is call Diggle or Oliver and then get the hell out right now. But something inside her tells her to stay and fight.

She starts to walk slowly, taking one step at a time, her eyes never leaving the dark area of her hallway. Not that she can really see anything anyway, nothing but a dark shadow that could be her intruder. It could also be nothing and this could be her imagination going wild, but the feelings swirling inside her tell her otherwise.

She grabs her tablet when she passes the side table, feeling the need to have something in her hand for protection. It’s stupid really, but at the moment her mind’s preoccupied with getting to her intruder.

As she makes her way through the apartment, she gets a clear visual of the hallway. Despite the darkness, from what she can see, it’s empty. But that still doesn't stop the nagging feeling inside her.

If this were a movie, this would be the point where she’d be frustrated at the character’s stupid decision to go further when it’s clear that danger lies ahead. Only this time, Felicity is that character. Regardless, something inside her needs to see for herself.

Walking through the hallway, her surroundings getting darker and darker, she finally makes it to the end of the hallway.

There's nothing there.

She frowns, thinking maybe it really is all in her head. She’s about to go back to her living room when she hears a faint sound from inside her bedroom that makes her freeze.

It could be nothing. It could just be some random noise from outside her apartment. But no, Felicity _knows_. Her skin tingles with awareness and deep inside she knows something is off.

Slowly, she turns the knob on the door and pushes it open. One step inside her room, and everything inside her just vibrates. She jumps, immediately feeling another presence in the room. Without even looking, she throws the tablet in defense, the device landing on the floor with a thud, doing nothing.

Felicity then feels a hand brushing against her arm and she jumps again. Her hands are flinging around, trying to hit whoever is around but that doesn't do any good either. She feels strong arms wrap around her and in turn, she does the only thing she can; she panics.

She starts to scream but it’s soon cut off by the intruder’s hand covering her mouth.

“Felicity, hey, ssshh, it’s me! It’s me!” a hurried whisper says against her ear.

Something about the voice is so familiar. Even though the intruder is behind her and she can't see who it is, she knows she recognizes something about his presence. She stops struggling, her body going tense as she tries to decipher what is going on.

The grip on her is still secure, but loose enough that it doesn't feel like she’s being caged. Something about that feels familiar as well.

There’s a struggle inside of her; there’s the rational part of her that tells her to fight back.

Then there’s another part of her that doesn't feel in any danger at all.

“I’m going to let go of you now,” the person whispers again, this time in a calm manner. “Just please don’t scream or try to hit me, okay?”

The rational part of her immediately screams ‘No!’ but there’s something else overpowering her brain and it's that instinct to trust this complete stranger who has just broken into her home that somehow wins over her head. Felicity nods and she feels the hand on her mouth pull away, just as the person’s grip on her also pulls away. She lets out a large breath, finally feeling herself unfreeze from whatever panic she was feeling inside. She steps away and immediately turns around, standing on alert.

When she gets a good look at him, she freezes once again.

“Wha…?”

This doesn't make any sense at all.

Standing in front of her is Oliver except… he can’t be.

Her mind is playing tricks on her. It’s the adrenaline making her imagination run wild. Felicity shakes her head, trying to get her senses straight. She then flips the switch for the lights, sure that the darkness has to play a part in tricking her vision.

But even with the lights on, it only brings her more confusion. The man who stands in front of her looks exactly like Oliver but different. His build is slightly larger; he looks to be twice his size.

He’s wearing the Arrow suit… or a version of it. It’s a bit more refined; the green still evident but nothing like the hood that Oliver has kept from the island. The details on the suit say it’s brand new, even though it looks well worn with some scratches here and there. The gadgets attached to it definitely suggest that this is brand new, not just an updated version of the suit she knows he currently wears.

Everything about this man screams Oliver, even his face.

But that’s also another thing that contradicts in her mind.

He looks like Oliver but… older. His hood is down so she can see him clearly. There are more lines on his face, showing his age. And his hair… most of it has gone gray, from the strands on his head to his beard; he has the perfect salt and pepper look.

He still looks good – very good – but it’s all so confusing.

“What the hell?” She manages to breath out.

“Felicity…” he says slowly. “I can explain.”

 

* * *

 

There have been many moments in her life where Felicity has been thrown for a loop. Seeing her kind-of-boss in the backseat of her car, not only bleeding to death but also dressed as the resident vigilante, being one of them. And now, said boss has just told her something completely out of this world.

“Time traveling?”

“Yes.”

No matter the serious look on his face, nor the conviction in his voice, the very idea is just too absurd to be real. He’s from the future, really?

Although… it kind of does make sense.

He’s Oliver, that much is clear. Even though he looks older – she just said goodbye to him a couple hours ago at the foundry and he certainly didn’t have the salt and pepper look then – everything about him screams Oliver. From his mannerisms to the safety she feels when she’s around him. This is Oliver.

Just not the Oliver she knows.

Because he’s from the future.

“You do realize how ridiculous that sounds, right?”

Although, it’s the only thing that makes sense. How can anyone otherwise explain two Oliver Queen’s, one of whom looks like he’s lived more lives than the one she currently knows.

But still… _time_ _traveling_?

The Oliver Queen of the future cocks his head to the side and gives her a look that says _‘oh sweetie you have no idea.’_

“Felicity, considering all the absurd things you’ve experienced so far, do you honestly think time traveling is far out of the realm of possibilities?”

“It’s time traveling! That is literally beyond _any_ kind of realm of possibilities!”

He chuckles and it kind of takes Felicity for a loop. The casual and lighthearted way he does that is so pure and it's something she’s never seen before.

“Honey, you have no idea just how big the world is and the many things you have yet to experience.”

“Oh, don’t lecture me about the vastness of the universe Oliver Quee – wait, did you just call me honey?”

“Hm?” He looks away, avoiding her curious look. A moment later, he looks back at her with that easy smile he’s been sporting, completely ignoring her previous question. “Look, there are still so many things you have yet to discover, Felicity. What’s going on right now, with the mirakuru and League of Assassins, it’s nothing compared to what’s going to come in the following years.”

“Why? What’s going to happen?”

“So many things,” he says in a soft tone, a wistful smile on his face. “A lot of them wonderful… a lot of them not so much. But they’re experiences that I wouldn’t trade for the world because they led me to the life I have now.”

The soft way he speaks and the intense gaze he has on her makes the goosebumps come back. Felicity doesn't know what it is exactly, but the way he speaks to her is so gentle and filled with… _love_. Which is almost even more absurd than the fact that he’s from the future.

Sure, they’re friends, and yes the experiences they have been through have made them bond like no other. But love? She does love him as a friend, just as she loves John. But the kind of love that this Oliver is emitting out to her right now is something else entirely.

Yeah, it’s completely ridiculous. Felicity shakes her head to get rid of any notions.

“So what’s gonna happen in the future?” she asks, trying to shake her thoughts away from the unthinkable.

“A lot of things… but none of them I can tell you.”

“Why?”

“Felicity, I’m already breaking so many fundamental laws of time traveling just talking to you. If I say anything more, it could change everything that I know.”

“So why are you talking to me? Why come to my apartment in the first place? What happened? Why did you even come here?”

All the questions spill out of her mouth.

Maybe she’s getting used to the idea that he _is_ from the future and time travel is real and now all she wants to know is the why and how. A lot of this doesn’t make sense. Not even the fact that time traveling is apparently a thing in the future. But Oliver being involved in it? How? And why is he here now? Why is he in her apartment of all places?

“Are you here to help us with this whole mirakuru thing?” The thought comes to her like a lightbulb. “You know who’s behind this, don’t you? Are we gonna be able to find a cure? Are we gonna stop this once and for all?”

Oliver, the one in the present, has been running himself – and everyone else – crazy trying to get to the bottom of the resurrection of mirakuru. It doesn't help that he has other issues going on in his personal life, namely his mother and her latest deceit about Thea’s parentage. It seems the only thing that’s keeping him awake is the determination in finding out who is behind the mirakuru comeback.

And having Sara back might also be helping him.

A grim look crosses the older Oliver’s face. It’s only for a brief moment, but she catches it.

“No, that’s not why I’m here.”

“But why? We are going through a lot of crap right now and we could really use all the advantages we can get.”

Oliver lets out a sigh, looking more tired than she'd ever seen him before. “It’s not that simple, Felicity. I told you before, telling you anything could cause a major change in the timeline. Trust me, it’s been a cautionary tale we’re all familiar with in the future.”

“Okay, time traveling paradox, I get that. I’ve watched enough sci-fi to know the logistics of it.” she says in a disappointed sigh. “But if you’re not here to help us with the mirakuru then why are you here?”

"Because I need your help."

"Help with what?"

"With this."

It’s then that Felicity notices the clutter that’s on her vanity dresser. How had she missed that? Although really, she hasn't stepped in her room at all since coming back home. She’s only walked into the bathroom to get dressed and take off her makeup. She usually never goes in her room until it’s time for bed.

Has he been in here the entire time?

Heat rushes to her face at the thought that he might have been here while she went about her night, changing into her Doctor Who pajamas and probably talking to herself.

Oh god, she's pretty sure she was belting out Adele earlier while she was changing. And Oliver probably heard it all because he was hiding in her room.

Oliver doesn't seem too concerned about that though and Felicity figures it’s best not to think too much into it either.

Instead she looks over at her dresser that doesn't usually hold much stuff but is now littered with... well, it almost looks like what her dining table looks like; filled with mismatched gadgets and clutter. Her dresser is where she usually keeps all of her spare parts as her makeup and accessories are stored in her bathroom. It seems the older Oliver must have known her hiding place for her tech stuff, because he’s rummaged through a few of them and littered them on the vanity.

"What's this? What did you do?"

"I needed some of your things to help me fix this."

Oliver takes a step to her dresser and picks up an object.

It looks like some sort of leather cuff bracelet with a screen attached to it, almost old school yet definitely new age at the same time. It's green too, the same shade as his Arrow costume. The piece goes well with his attire, so it's definitely meant for him.

"And what exactly is this?" She asks as her eyes roam the device in fascination.

"This is a Time Manipulator." he says, holding it out to her.

Felicity takes the device, making sure to hold it in a delicate manner, her fascination growing. Now that she has a closer look at it, she can see the finer details. There’s more buttons and whatnot on it, as well as a damaged screen in the middle of it. It feels light in her hand, but she can see the kind of intricate tech that is embedded in the device.

"This looks like something out of Doctor Who.” she says in awe.

Oliver lets out an amused chuckle, which briefly takes her attention away from the device and back to him. It still kind of surprises her how easy going he's acting.

"Sorry,” he says when he sees her look at him. He gives her a smile so wide that his dimples are showing. "It's just that's exactly the reason why it looks like that, because you wanted it to look like the one from Doctor Who."

"Well of course, if you're gonna have a time traveling device then might as well make it look like Jack Harkness' vortex manipulator." she says in a rush as a blush creeps into her cheeks. Damn her and her nerdiness!

Then another thought comes to her. "Wait, what do you mean I wanted it to look like that? How would I have managed to make it look like the vortex manipulator?"

"Because, Felicity..." he pauses, looking at her with sincerity. "You invented it."

Her eyes widen in shock, possibly in more shock than when he told her he's from the future. What the frack?

"I... what?!"

He smiles at her again. "You're brilliant, Felicity. Is it any wonder that you'll create something like this?"

"Um.... what?!"

Seriously, this is now on a whole new level of crazy.

"I mean, it's not _just_ you who invented it. You and a team of our crazy smart friends all worked together to develop time traveling. It took you guys years to finally achieve it, but... I can honestly say without your contribution they wouldn't have even gone past the theoretical part."

The proud tone of his voice makes Felicity's heart race. There's so much adoration in his eyes as he speaks that it takes her breath away. The blush in her cheeks deepens in shade at the look.

It’s strange to see him give her such an intense attention. Sure, she and Oliver have exchanged looks in the past two years they’ve known each other, but nothing quite like this. The way he looks at her now is filled with so much reverence, it almost makes her self-conscious. The way that he speaks to her makes her think he knows more about her than she knows about herself.

Though, it’s not that surprising considering he’s from the future. And from the sound of it, they’re still friends. She already feels like she knows Oliver better than most of the people in his life and she’s only been friends with him for two years. This Oliver has been friends with her for twenty years. How much of herself has she shared with this man in that time?

Shaking her head of that thought, Felicity focuses her mind on the truly boggling fact.

She looks down at the device in her hand once again. Now that she knows more about it, she can’t help but be skeptical. It almost doesn’t seem to be real. Despite how new age the technology looks - definitely years beyond her knowledge - it all seems so unreal. It looks almost like a cosplay piece.

Could this thing really travel through time?

“So this is a time machine?”

“A pocket time machine, but yes.”

She quirks a brow at him. “A pocket time machine?”

“Come on, Felicity, you’re the sci-fi fanatic here.” he says with an amused grin. “You should know what that means.”

“I know what that means, I just didn’t think you did.” she says with a bit of snark. “Also, a pocket time machine is just as nearly improbable as a real time machine.”

“Improbable but not impossible, which you will discover in the future.”

“And you’re saying I made this?”

“Yes,” he says with that ever proud look on his face. “We do have a bigger time machine, but because it’s kind of a hassle having to use that thing to get through time, especially when it’s just me who needs to get a hold of a villain, you decided to create the Time Manipulator for my convenience.”

Felicity raises a skeptical brow once again. It definitely sounds like something she’d do, especially for Oliver’s benefit. Anything to make his life easier as the Arrow, she’s usually right on top of it.

“So you’re saying… I invented time traveling?”

“Yes… kind of.”

“Kind of?”

“It’s difficult to explain really without giving too much away about the future,” he struggles. “But basically, we found out time traveling is a real thing and you and our friends found a way to make it possible for us.”

“How did we find out time traveling is a real thing?”

Oliver stays silent, giving her a look with a smile.

“Let me guess, you can’t tell me.”

“Sorry, honey, I didn’t make the rules. You did.”

Felicity narrows her eyes at him, taking in his words. “You know, that’s the second time you’ve called me that.”

“Call you what?”

“Honey. Why are you calling me that? It’s kind of weird.”

“Is it?” He looks at her in surprise, then pauses and takes in her words.

There’s a wave of expression that crosses his face, but mostly he’s contemplative. Felicity studies him, as his face changes from pondering and thoughtful to almost expressionless, his emotions seemingly disappearing all together.

“Anyways, I’m sorry for barging in on your home,” he says, completely disregarding her question all together. _Again._ “I needed to fix this.” He takes the device from her hands and puts it back down on the vanity, looking at it with a frown.

“I can see that,” Felicity comments, figuring it’s best not to dwell on the moniker he’s suddenly calling her. “It seems you managed to find my storage.”

“You told me once that you rarely had time to fidget with your inventions when you started working with me at night,” he explains. “That you’ve been gathering tech junk that you keep stored in your dresser.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever told you that.”

He smiles at her again, his dimples showing. “You haven’t yet, but you will,” he says confidently. “Just like how you told me that you don’t come into your room after you get home. That you go straight to your bathroom to change and most of the time you crash on your couch. I was hoping to get this done before you realized I was even in here… but I guess I made more of a noise than I intended.”

“So you thought it was okay to just sneak in my room and go about your business without my knowledge? You do realize how creepy that sounds? It doesn’t matter that you’re my friend, do you honestly think that I would let any of that fly?”

Oliver scratches the back of his head, looking sheepish. “Yeah… I wasn’t really thinking about it like that.” he says in an embarrassed tone. “I guess I’m just so used to us being… close. You know, in the future.”

“That still doesn’t excuse you crossing my boundaries!” She exclaims. “This is my home, Oliver! This is my personal space that is completely separate from you and QC and the Arrow! I don’t care if you have 20 years of friendship to get to know me, I highly doubt my future self lets you invade my privacy like this!”

“Oh, you are so wrong about that,” he mumbles, his face completely showing contradiction to her statement.

“What?”

“Nothing.” he retracts, immediately changing his expression to one that is apologetic. “Felicity, I am truly sorry. I honestly didn’t mean to scare you or invade your personal space. I just really needed your help.”

As much as Felicity wants to continue to be mad – partly because her mind is still trying to process this whole time traveling thing – she’s too exhausted to scream at him. Besides, Oliver is giving her the damn puppy dog eyes along with a pout. How the hell does he know to pout? Up until now, Oliver only ever has two settings; brooding and pretend playboy.

Everything about this whole situation continues to confuse her.

“Fine,” she sighs. “What do you need help with?”

“My time manipulator broke, which means I’m stuck here.”

“This time manipulator… it helps you travel through time?”

“Yes it’s a portable device that I use to help me with time traveling so I don’t always have to use our pod vehicles or wait for the Waverider.”

“What’s a Waverider?”

“It’s nothing you have to be concerned with.” he says quickly. “Right now I just need to get this fixed.” He gestures to the manipulator.

“And how are you gonna fix that?”

“Well I was hoping I can find something in your junk file that can help me fix this thing.” he sighs. “There’s some very specific tools I need to use and you’re the only one I know who has them.”

“But that’s in the future, how do you know I’d have those tools now?”

“Because I know you, Felicity,” he says with a warm smile, affection shining in his eyes. “How do you think you even got the jump start into creating a time machine? The moment you found out the science behind time traveling, you started tinkering on your own, for fun, using the junk you have in here. That’s how you came up with your first prototype.”

“I did all of that?”

“Yes.” The pride in his look is back again.

“I…” For once, Felicity is truly speechless.

It’s such a strange thing to find out about all these unbelievable things she’s done, even though she hasn’t done them yet. All of this still doesn’t feel real. Despite the sheer conviction in his tone and the honesty in his eyes, she still finds it hard to believe. How can she be responsible for something so groundbreaking in terms of scientific discovery?

“Felicity.” Oliver says in a soft tone, both of his hands reaching up to cradle her face.

The touch is so sudden. Added to her disbelief about her contribution to time travel, she becomes very aware of him and his touch and his gaze on her.

“It truly pains me that you’re even doubting yourself right now,” he says softly, looking at her with such respect. “You’re a brilliant and amazing woman. I’ve seen you build empires, not just with the company but amongst our friends as well. There wouldn’t even be a team without you. You are the reason why I’m still alive and why our world still exist. Please know that you are much more than an IT girl and way more than my Girl Wednesday. You’re Felicity, the best damn superhero that came out of our misfit vigilante group.”

Felicity swallows the large lump that’s formed in her throat as his words wash over her. She doesn't know why she feels like she wants to cry, but she does. She can feel the tears building up. She's still in complete denial over what he’s just told her, everything he's told her, but the completely honesty in Oliver’s eyes makes her truly believe that what he says is real.

Could she really achieve all of that in the future?

It seems so unbelievable considering the life she leads right now. She can’t even see herself as anything past Oliver Queen’s employee; the IT girl hidden in the basement of a club. She just can’t align her life right now with the remarkable woman he’s describing.

“I know it’s hard to believe right now,” Oliver continues as though reading her mind. “But trust me, you are going to do amazing things.”

He leans over and kisses the tear that has escaped her eyes. The feeling gives her a rush, causing her to gasp. There’s still lingering doubts in her mind about what he tells her. But the way he holds her so safely in his hands, the honesty in his voice and the feel of his lips on her, makes her believe, even for a moment, that it’s true.

Maybe she really is the truly remarkable superhero he describes in the future.


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity confronts future Oliver about a few things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so beyond amazed at all the response to this fic. Thank you all for loving this concept as much as I do! Honest to god, this has been a concept i've had for almost a year and the OHFAT prompt has just pushed me to actually write it. So to see you guys responding so well to it really makes me happy!
> 
> As always a HUGE thanks to [@intolauren](http://archiveofourown.org/users/intolauren) for being my beta and cheerleader. I honestly couldn't make any sense of this story without her!
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

There’s something about seeing Oliver Queen spouting theoretical – though she supposes it’s not so theoretical anymore – physics that’s so… _hot_. It’s been almost an hour since she discovered him in her home; since her worldview was thrown upside down with the knowledge that time travel exists, and now they’re camped out in her living room. They moved her tools and his device to the coffee table so there's more space to tinker with it.

Felicity still has no idea of how it all works, but it seems that Oliver does. She’s barely had a chance to look at the device again, to study it and learn from it, as he already gone to town working on it in such a proficient way. But watching him is just as much of a learning experience. So many components of the device she’s not familiar with, and seeing him work on it as though he’s the expert is fascinating all on its own.

There's no denying that watching him work like this in general is hot. Felicity has always found Oliver attractive. Heck, she’s never hidden the fact that she appreciates his sessions on the salmon ladder. But there’s something about this Oliver focusing entirely on the device in front of him and expertly building something that involves a lot of science that’s stirring something in her. It’s a whole new level of attraction to him that she’s never felt before.

“So how did this break anyway?” Felicity asks as she watches him screw a very tiny screw onto the device.

“I was chasing a metahuman that can jump through time and we got into a battle and he broke my manipulator.” he responds, not taking his attention away from his work.

“What’s a metahuman?”

Oliver pauses, as though realizing he’s revealed something to her he wasn’t supposed to. “Nothing.” he says quickly. “It’s nothing you have to worry about for a while.”

Felicity purses her lips. He does that a lot; says something she doesn’t understand and then ignores her when she asks about it. She gets it, she supposes. If it’s something about the future, then it’s best if she doesn’t know. But still, it irritates her not knowing; she hates mysteries. Especially when this Oliver seems to have solved all the mysteries of the world and she’s still very much in the dark.

“So we time travel now?” Felicity asks, changing the subject. “Has Team Arrow graduated from fighting low life criminals in Starling City and moved onto crime fighting through time and space?”

“Starling City...” He says with a sigh, sounding wistful. He looks lost in thought for a moment and Felicity is about to call out his name when he shakes his head, clearing away whatever was on his mind.

“I’ve told you before that there are many things that happen in the future that completely open our world to new things that we never could have thought possible. Time travel is one of them.” he says without taking his attention away from his task on the device. “We’re still very much active in protecting our city, but in the next 20 years we expand a bit. We gain new members for our team as well as allies in other places.”

“Allies.” Felicity repeats, her brows furrowing at the word. “It’s like you’re talking about us going to war or something.”

“Or something.” he mumbles. “The battle we’re facing right now, the one with the mirakuru, is only the first of many we face in the future, unfortunately.”

Oliver says this in an ominous tone, yet he dons on a calm look and once again, Felicity is taken aback by his demeanor. As much as he looks like the Oliver she knows, he’s completely different in so many ways. She’s so used to Oliver being broody and filled with so much guilt, but this Oliver seems completely free of that.

There’s an air of ease around the Oliver in front of her. He seems lighter, as though he’s not carrying the weight of the world on his shoulder and it's been throwing her for a loop ever since she encountered him earlier in the evening. Whereas the Oliver she knows would have constantly taken the blame for what’s happening, and would probably never ask her for help, this Oliver has an air of openness, a willingness to let others help him.

He lets her know when he needs help and he doesn’t hide whatever problem he’s facing. Sure, there are so many things he hasn’t told her, but that’s because he can’t. That’s something she understands, even though it frustrates her not knowing details of her future. But the way this Oliver just presents himself, it’s clear there’s nothing he’s holding back. He’s completely let go of all his burdens.

He even _smiles_ for freaking sake.

That’s something Felicity has yet to see from the Oliver she knows; a real smile. Oliver has his Oliver Queen Public Persona smile, and there’s the soft smiles he gives to her and Dig and his family. There's even that amused smile he gives her whenever she goes on a babbling tangent. But the smiles this Oliver gives her are so big and pure, his dimples going deep.

He may have said they’re in for a lot of suck in the future, but it’s clear that Oliver goes through something exceptional as well that helps him let go of all his troubles. That’s something she can look forward to at least.

“It sounds like an there's a lot of crap coming for us.” Felicity mumbles.

Oliver turns to look at her and smiles; there’s that dimple again.

“I know it may not seem like it, but the future is actually a pretty great place, Felicity.”

She raises a brow. “Considering we’ve got time travel that I apparently created, I bet. Sounds like an amusement park.”

“I’m sure that excites you. You were definitely excited when you had your breakthrough.” he chuckles. “But there’s more about the future to look forward to. There’s our friends that you have yet to meet. The friends we have now and the journey you’ll go through. Not to mention getting to see the success we make in protecting our city day and night and knowing all of our hard work is worth it.”

Felicity smiles softly, all of her concerns about his previous statements washing away. There’s a slight glint in his eye as he speaks about their future, the positive things to look forward to, that makes her feel warm inside. If Oliver Queen can be optimistic about their future, then it probably isn’t all that bad.

“I can’t wait to live it then.” she says softly.

“Trust me, you’re going to love our future Felicity,” he says before going back to work on the device.

Felicity’s heart flutters at his use of the word ‘our’. He’s done it again. He's told her something that’s triggered strange feelings inside the her. Feelings that she certainly has no right to be feeling. Feelings that all started when he called her ‘honey’ the first time. Seriously, what was that about? He hadn't just called her that once, he said it twice.

And then there’s the way he looks at her. Whenever he starts telling her about the good things to look forward to in the future, he gets this gleam in his eye as he focuses solely on her. It’s like he’s telling her something else with his eyes, something more than what his words are saying. It both confuses her and makes her feel warm. There’s so much he’s saying with his eyes, but she just can’t understand it.

She wonders if her future self learns to read Oliver Queen better.

She must, since they’re still friends 20 years down the line.

It just irritates her because it’s another mystery altogether. But unlike what her future holds, something about the way Oliver talks to her makes her hesitate to investigate further. She doesn't know why but discovering that particular truth kind of scares her, and she's trying not to think about it too much.

Honestly, whatever thoughts she might have about _that_ are completely unthinkable thoughts. It’s best to forget about them all together.

“So what about these allies?” Felicity asks, changing the subject once again. “Are they our friends too or are they exclusively Arrow related?”

“They’re our friends.” he says. “Although I guess they’re actually just your friends who put up with me because of you.”

“Why?”

“Come on, Felicity.” he snorts. “Between the two of us, who do you think people would want to talk to more?”

“Okay, you have a point.”

“The only reason why we have as many allies as we do is because of you.” he flashes her a look, winking at her and grinning wide before turning back to his device. “The reason why we’ve been able to ban together as a League and protect our Earth is because of you.”

“A League?” She raises a brow. Her heart is still hammering at the wink he sent her, but she’s trying really hard to ignore that. “Don’t tell me we’ve created some sort of superhero cult?”

“Okay then, I won’t tell you.” he jokes.

Her mouth hangs agape, trying to decipher whether he’s serious or not.

Oliver laughs when he catches a glimpse at her face. “Honestly, Felicity, this is just one of the many ways our world has grown.”

“I’m sorry but… I guess it’s just so hard to believe that broody vigilante Oliver Queen who likes to be by himself is so open to working with other teams.”

He laughs again, and Felicity decides she really likes the sound. “Okay, I can understand that. And to be fair, I’m still not a fan of all the team ups. It’s always you who has to convince me to do them. And because we’re the ones who technically started the whole vigilante thing, the others always seem to look to us for help. I rarely ever want to team up with them, so they all know to go to you first to ask for help. Because they know you’ll be able to talk me into it.”

She snorts. “As if I can make you do anything.”

“You’d be surprised.” he smirks. “Don’t you see it, Felicity? I’m pretty sure half of the mission you’re on now is set up by you. You’re really the one calling the shots with the team.”

“Well yeah, that’s because we’re focused on finding the mirakuru right now. I’m the one who knows how to follow the pattern.”

“Exactly. You know what to look for, but you also know the kind of mission we need to do to help the city, outside of my one track mind. And you do that for the next twenty years. I know for a fact that when you bring in a mission to me, that it’s important and I trust your judgement on that.”

“Huh… well I guess some things don't change in the future.”

“No they don’t.” he says, his voice turning soft and his smile completely lighting up his face. “You’ve always been there for me and I’m very grateful that that’s the case for the next twenty years and for many more after that.”

Felicity blushes and looks away, knowing that if she sees the gentle way he’s gazing at her any longer, she’ll probably turn red as a tomato.

Damnit, this is definitely not what she wants to talk about. Why is it that he always seems to go back to giving her these looks and making her feel this way?

The confusing thoughts swirl back into her mind, no matter how hard she tries not to think about them. The kind of feelings this Oliver is giving her keeps making her second guess herself. How can she feel so smitten by the attention he’s giving her when it most likely means nothing more than just friendly admiration?

Even though the way he gazes at her…

But it can’t be, it just can’t be!

Every time she lets herself get lost in the feelings he’s provoking, her mind is brought back to two days ago. When she’d entered the foundry in the morning and found Oliver and Sara putting their clothes back on. They weren’t even acting suspicious in any way. In fact, they could have very well spent the entire night working out as the way they were acting around each other wasn't really anything out of the ordinary.

But Felicity could tell. Something had shifted between them. She couldn’t help the churning feeling in her gut at the realization. It wasn’t as though she had any rights over Oliver whatsoever; she just had a silly little crush. So she’d immediately bit back whatever she was feeling and put a smile on her face for the two.

Ever since then, reality had hit her. There would never be anything more between her and Oliver besides the partnership they’ve formed. Not that she’d ever thought there would be. After all, she of all people knows that she’s not Oliver’s type. She’ll never be Laurel or Sara or even Helena. And if their time in Russia proved anything, it's that Oliver’s taste in women definitely doesn't include her.

Since then, she's let go of that subconscious part of her that had any kind of hope for a possibility. Because there really isn’t. They’re unthinkable.

But now, this Oliver is causing those feelings to creep up on her again. Why does he keep looking at her the way he should be looking at Sara? Or Laurel? Not only does he give her these looks, but he’s saying things. Things that sound like promises. And considering he’s from the future, he very may well have already fulfilled them.

It’s confusing and frustrating all at the same time. Because she’s already accepted that none of it can be true.

Shaking her head in frustration, Felicity gets up from the couch and starts to pace the living room. She can't see him, but she can tell that Oliver keeps his eyes on her. She needs to get the idea of them out of her head. She can’t think like this, not anymore, not when Oliver is clearly unavailable in the present.

Any kind of thought leading to _that_ is dangerous, especially for her heart. She can’t think about that. She won’t.

“Hey, Felicity, is everything okay?” Oliver’s soft voice breaks away her thoughts.

“Oh yeah. Just fine.” she says, trying to put on a smile. “Just a lot of things going on up here. A lot to process.”

She stops her pacing momentarily, rubbing her temples in emphasis. She finally takes a peek at Oliver and sees him looking at her, like he's analyzing her. It unnerves her, the way his eyes rake over her, as though he's trying to figure out her secrets. The scariest part is, she feels that he probably can.

Oliver gets up from his spot on the floor and stands in front of her. “Hey,” he says in a calming tone. His hands hold her arms, caressing her skin softly. The gesture soothes her. “What’s going on in that big beautiful brain of yours?”

Her eyes widen slightly, his face only a couple of inches from his, which is not helping her racing heart at all. Another swell of hysteria passes through her and those thoughts from earlier keep coming back.

No, he can’t do this right now. He can’t keep saying these beautiful things to her and expecting her not to react, to not feel anything.

She needs to reign it in.

“Nothing it’s just…” She looks away and tries to pull back, to step away from his grasp, but he only holds on tighter, keeping her in place. “I guess this whole time traveling thing is finally catching up with me.”

The lie is easy since it’s partially true anyway. She really can’t believe that something so groundbreaking is true and that she has a huge part in it. But at the same time, her thoughts are being dominated by all these questions and feelings about Oliver.

“I know it’s overwhelming.” he says with a sigh.

One hand goes to cup her face and she stiffens a bit. She’s sure he notices, but his thumb continues to caress her jawline in a soothing manner and she soon relaxes. How does he do that?

“I certainly was when I found out about it.” he continues, a small chuckle escaping his lips. “Then again, that was also followed by a lot of other discoveries that were far more outrageous than time traveling.”

That catches her attention and she looks at him again, her brows furrowing. “What could be more outrageous than time traveling?”

He laughs again, that glint in his eyes shining bright as his dimples deepen. He looks at her in that loving way he has been all night and she’s reminded once again of the conflicting thoughts in her head.

“Oh hon, so many things.”

There he goes again, calling her honey. Hon, technically, but it’s still the same sentiment.

“Just try to imagine any of the most impossible things and I can guarantee that we’ve encountered them.” he continues.

That thought intrigues her. What is so out of this world that it tops time traveling?

“What, like aliens invading earth?” She jokes, snorting at how outrageous that would be. Time traveling is one absurd thing but aliens? That would be just like stepping into a science fiction movie.

The grin that erupts onto Oliver’s face makes her pause.

Her eyes bug out of her head.

“Are you kidding me?!” Needless to say, all thoughts of Oliver and the affectionate way he’s been around her tonight have definitely left her thoughts now. “Aliens?!”

“I will neither confirm nor deny.” he says, but his grin deepens.

Her mind is now running wild with thoughts of this new information. Aliens? Really? “Frack.”

“And that’s not even the craziest part.”

“There’s more?”

He lets out a bellow of a laugh. “Oh, Felicity, there’s so much more we experience in the future, I can’t believe all of it happens in the span of just twenty years.”

“How can that be possible?”

“I guess we just attract the impossible.” he says with an easy shrug.

There’s that aloof Oliver again.

He lets go of her but one of his hand keeps ahold of hers lightly. “Come on,” he says. “Sit back down while I try to fix this thing.”

“Okay.”

There’s been a lot of revelations in the past couple of minutes that she can't believe she's even still standing if she's honest. She sits down on the couch as Oliver goes back to the floor, sitting in front of the coffee table.

“So what are you doing now?” She asks, trying to fill in the silence, watching Oliver as he goes back to tinkering with the device.

“Well, I’m trying to get this thing running again.”

“I’ve gotta say, I’m kind of amazed that you even know how to fix that thing. Physics isn’t exactly your forte.”

“No, it definitely is not.” he chuckles. “But I’ve been around you for twenty years, I was bound to pick up something.”

“And here I thought you didn’t listen to my babbles…”

“I always pay attention to you, Felicity.” he says as though it’s a common statement. “I’ve been paying attention to you since the first time I saw you. And then everyday after we met.”

“Oh, you mean when I babbled to you about your father dying? Oh yeah, I can see how that’s memorable.”

“You _were_ memorable.” he flashes her a smirk. “And adorable.”

She scoffs. “I was chewing on a pen.”

“Yes. It was red.”

That stuns her. “You remember that?”

“Like I said, I remember everything about you.”

“Yeah but that’s like… twenty years for you. You really still remember that?”

He stops what he’s doing and looks at her, with nothing but sincerity in his eyes. “Everything, Felicity. Everything you did, everything you said, I remember all of it. I could never forget you. Anything about you.”

Felicity lets out small gasp.

As much as she wants to look away, to shake away the emotions he's causing to swirl inside her, she can't. The intense way he’s looking at her right now is mesmerizing. He’s captured her and she can’t look away.

Everything in his eyes is telling her that there's nothing but pure honesty in what he's saving. It’s more than just a promise or a truth, it’s a vow. Something that conveys how eternal his feelings are. Her heart rate accelerates.

Everything she’s been trying to avoid thinking about keeps rushing back, and this time she’s not sure she can control it. It's overpowering her mind. Oliver keeps on expressing these things that just evoke the thoughts and feelings inside her and every time he does, they just get stronger.

She can’t do it anymore.

“Will you stop that?” She cries.

That takes him by surprise. “What do you mean? Stop what?”

“Stop saying these things!” She huffs in frustration. She gets up and starts pacing again, Oliver following suit. “And stop looking at me like that too!”

“I don’t understand, saying what? Looking at you like what?” He holds out a hand, trying to reach for her, to stop her pacing, but she pushes his hand away.

“This! Looking at me like you’re…” She gestures to him as though that somehow completes her sentence. “And saying things to me like…”

“Like what, Felicity?” He looks at her with genuine confusion and concern.

He looks at her with a perfect a puppy dog expression, and it makes her even more aggravated. She lets out another groan, because all she can think about now is giving him a hug.

“You need to stop this!”

“Felicity… I have no idea what you’re talking right now, which is a first. I can usually follow you when you go on a tangent, hon.”

“That! That right there!” She exclaims, surely surprising him with the outburst. “You calling me hon, or honey. Which you’ve done more than once, actually! What is up with that? Why are you calling me that?”

“I…”

“And it’s not just that, not just you saying these things that are sweet. It’s the way you say them, it sounds like there’s something more to them than just you being nice. It’s like… there’s more… and it’s making me feel these things that I - that I don’t want to be feeling!”

That makes him pause and look at her contemplatively. There’s a flash of hurt in his eyes that comes and goes so fast that Felicity thinks she imagined it. He continues looking at her, as though he’s trying to think of the right words to say.

“I’m sorry, Felicity.” he says finally. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“I’m not uncomfortable, I’m confused. I just don't understand!” She lets out an exasperated sigh. “When you talk to me, it makes me feel like… something I shouldn’t be feeling. Something I never should be feeling at all and I’m just so…”

“Confused?”

“Yeah.”

He stays silent, taking in her words. She can see him musing over what she just said to him. She doesn't know what he could be analyzing, but he’s looking at her the same way he did before, when she first mentioned how him calling her ‘honey’ was weird.

It’s like he can't understand how her thinking that him calling her ‘honey’ is weird is somehow more absurd than the actual fact that he calls her that. As though the endearment just rolls off his tongue so naturally, that he does it so frequently, he doesn't even realize. Like he can't understand how for her, it’s always so sudden and such a surprise whenever he does.

“When you say you shouldn’t be feeling… what do you mean by that?”

The question throws her for a loop, especially since he asks it with such genuine curiosity.

“Because it’s us.” she says, as though it’s obvious.

It seems as though it isn’t to Oliver though, because he still looks at her confused.

“You’re you, Oliver. And I’m just… I’m me. I’ve known for a long time that we are not like that and never will be.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Why would you think that?”

This time he looks hurt, and it almost makes Felicity feel bad. Almost. But she’s still frustrated at him and his mixed signals. Well, both versions of him a least.

“I heard you loud and clear after Russia, Oliver!” she exclaims.

He winces, obviously knowing exactly what she means when she mentions Russia.

“And I understand it even more clearly now that you and Sara are together!”

This time he lets out a sigh when she says Sara’s name. Felicity doesn't know why he looks so defeated, but she can’t really stop and contemplate when she’s this wired up.

“I get it. You and I… it’s unthinkable. I’m just a silly girl with a silly crush and I know nothing is ever gonna come out of that.”

Oliver starts shaking his head, as though denying her claims.

Felicity continues on, ignoring his vehement denial. “And even if, for some reason you’d ever consider us, me, that way, how is that gonna look? You’re you and I’m just… me.”

“Felicity…” He lets out a tired sigh, looking at her with a pained expression. “You have no idea how much it kills me to hear you say that.”

“What? It’s the truth.”

“No.” he immediately says. “That’s the farthest thing from the truth.”

She frowns. “I don’t understand.”

“I was… such an idiot back then.” he starts. “There are so many things about myself that I regret so much. My stubbornness being the main thing.”

“I still don’t follow you.”

He sighs again and steps closer to her, taking her hand, visibly relaxing just a little when she lets him. He caresses the back of it, as though he’s drawing strength from her touch, and inhales deeply.

“You know me better than anyone, Felicity, so you know that right now, in your time, I feel as though I don’t deserve any kind of happiness. That I’m destined to be alone.” he starts. “Do you remember what you told me, after you confronted me about… Isabel? After we came home from Russia?”

He sounds as though saying her name, Isabel’s name, gives him a chill.

“Yeah, I said you deserve someone better.”

“And at that time, I honestly thought I didn’t. Right now, here, my present self still doesn’t think I deserve anyone better. That I’m destined to be alone. That’s why I’m with Sara right now.”

“I don’t get it. You love Sara. You wouldn’t have cheated on Laurel with her if you didn’t.”

“Yes, I did love her, I still do.” he says with a sigh. “But it’s a different kind of love. She’s one of my dearest friends and we both went through something that forged our bond forever. But I don’t love her in the way you might think. Certainly not the kind of love that will last.”

“But you seem so… content.” she looks at him confused. “I just saw you guys today and you were smiling.”

Maybe not the way this future Oliver has been smiling at her, she thinks, but smiling nonetheless.

“I’m content because I have someone I can share my pain with.” he explains. “Sara understands me because she was with me through most of the torture I endured. But that doesn’t mean that we’re happy. Right now, I don't realize that. But I will.”

He lets out another sigh and his hands start to caress her arms again. She notices that he does that a lot, whether it's to comfort her or himself, she isn't sure. Either way, it must be a calming gesture for him for some reason.

“At this moment, we need each other to share that grief, but it only pulls us into the darkness even further.” he continues. “It not healthy but it’s what I think I deserve.”

“But that’s not true! You deserve happiness, Oliver.” she insists. “Both you and Sara do. Maybe the two of you just need time to let go of the darkness of your past.”

He shakes his head, smiling at her softly. “Even if we did, it wouldn’t have done our relationship any good.”

“But why?”

“Because I don’t love Sara, at least not that way. She’s not the one who makes me happy, who makes me feel fulfilled in life.”

Her heart starts to race at the way his eyes gaze into hers so intensely. Yet the logical part of her head continues to deny what her soul is saying. It can’t be true… can it?

“Is it Laurel?” She asks in a small voice, afraid of the answer.

Oliver lets out a groan, tilting his head back for emphasis.

“I know I was ignorant back then but I couldn’t have been that much of a moron.” he murmurs before looking back at her again.

“What?”

“Felicity…” He sighs. He brings his hands up to cup her face and leans his forehead against hers.

Her breath hitches at the close proximity, her eyes wide. But he doesn't seem to be phased at all by their closeness. In fact, he’s smiling softly, his eyes shining as they gaze into hers.

“Can’t you see it?” He asks, his voice soft, so soft. “It’s you. It’s always been you. I love you.”


	3. Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity processes this new information...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES, i'm back with a new chapter and don't worry I am continuing this, in fact, I'm getting ready to wrap this up! Actually, this was supposed to be the last chapter but I got carried away writing this (as I usually do with this story it seems lol) so I'm thinking I only have one more chapter left of this story. For now at least...
> 
> Thank you all soooo much for the overwhelming response! I am so glad you guys like this as much as I do. This has honestly been stemmed from my inner selfish fantasy of the time travel trope, along with olicity in the early season getting together, or realizing their love for each other. My brain is a messy place, especially when it starts creating different scenario for my ship, i'm just glad I was able to form coherent sentences to share and that you guys also like it lol
> 
> So many thanks to [@intolauren](http://archiveofourown.org/users/intolauren) once again for all of her help!

Felicity stands frozen in place, his words repeating in her head.

_I love you._

Is this real? Did he really just…?

She looks at him and her heart just knows. The soft, tender way he looks into her eyes, so full of love and honesty. There’s no way he can fake that kind of affection.

He loves her.

Her heart feels so full, just wanting to burst in response to him.

He loves her.

She feels the tears in her eyes starting to fall and she's completely unable to control her reaction.

He loves her.

The genuine look in his eyes conveys the answers for every question that swirls in her head. It counteracts every doubt that has been filling her mind. It’s overwhelming but at this moment in time, she believes it. She believes him.

He loves her.

Oh god… _he loves her_. This Oliver in front of her honest to god loves her. It’s so clear in the soft way he looks at her and the smile on his face that’s simply breathtaking. He’s practically been radiating love her way since the moment she discovered him earlier tonight.

He truly loves her.

Everything in her body tells her that it's true. Her heart swells, beating wildly and everything in her soul wants to throw her arms around him and bury herself in his comfort. She never knew she could feel so much about someone. It’s the undeniable truth inside her.

It’s as if a floodgate has opened inside her. All the feelings she’s been repressing because she thought they were silly or would never be reciprocated. They’re all back and singing such happy tunes because it’s not unthinkable. Not anymore.

He loves her and she loves him.

Something about that fact makes her feel complete. He’s here in front of her and he loves her. She feels like she can take on an army full of mirakuru soldiers because she knows she has Oliver’s love and support.

Every doubt and insecurity she’s ever felt while being around the women he’s been with in the past slowly vanish from her thoughts. The sheer conviction in his voice when he declares his love for her gives her that power. It takes away all of the insecure thoughts she ever had when she saw him with those women.

In this moment, Felicity truly believes him.

Then reality washes over her.

This Oliver may love her, but the one in the present doesn’t. The man who’s probably sleeping on the worn-out mattress on the floor of the foundry, wrapped in the arms of the woman whom he thought he lost, certainly doesn’t. Oliver being in love with her has always been a fantasy and now, she’s remembering, it still is. It doesn’t matter that his future self is telling her otherwise. It hasn’t happened yet.

The thought brings Felicity back from the illusion she momentarily let herself be consumed by and that gut wrenching feeling returns. Oliver must notice the shift in her mood because he lets his hands fall from her face, taking a step back from her as she pulls away, looking down to avoid his eyes.

“I need a drink.” she murmurs in a low tone before walking over to the kitchen.

Felicity moves around the kitchen on autopilot, pulling out her $5 red wine from her small rack display on the counter and a glass from the shelf. She pours herself a drink, filling up the glass almost to the rim before taking a big gulp from it.

She feels numb all over. Her mind keeps going through everything that future Oliver has told her; the subtle hints he’s been blurting all night. And the soft and gentle way he looks at her as he speaks to her. The feelings that he elicits inside her.

For a brief moment she let them consume her. She let herself truly believe it’s true. But the reality of it is that it’s not.

At least not right now.

The reality is that Oliver is with Sara and he’s happy with her. She’s his perfect match. She’s the woman who knows him and his demons very well because she went through the same thing. She’s the only one who can truly understand him and his obsession with the mirakuru. She’s also the woman he chose.

And let’s be honest, if it’s not Sara Lance, then it would be Laurel. Gorgeous Laurel who has held his heart for years, long before she ever came into his peripheral vision. That’s not something you can just erase from his history.

Sure, _this_ future Oliver may declare his love for her, but that isn’t really the case in the present.

Just as Felicity drowns the last drop of her glass of wine, she feels Oliver’s presence approaching. She doesn’t turn around, doesn’t even react when he stands behind her. Nor does she react when he wraps his arms around her, pulling her closer to his chest.

“I know it’s probably hard for you to believe.” he says in a low murmur. She can feel his breath on her ear, as his arms wrap around her, tightening in an embrace.

She doesn’t even want to process how he can possibly know what is going through her mind. She’s so tired of trying to figure him out.

“You have no idea how often I’ve cursed my younger self for being such an idiot.” he continues. “But I can assure you, honey, I will come to realize a lot of things in the near future. One of them is how much I’ve denied my true feelings for you. I ‘get my head out of my ass’, as you and John like to say.”

That makes her want to smile, but her heart still feels so heavy that she can only muster a small hitch in her lips.

“I just don’t understand.” she mumbles, her voice hoarse. “You’re with Sara. I just saw you two together. How do you go from being with her to…”

“Loving you?”

Her body tenses again but she nods.

Oliver lets out a sigh. He loosens his grip on her, but only to turn her around so she’s facing him. She doesn't protest the shift, but keeps her eyes down. He takes a finger and lifts her chin up, making her reluctantly meet his eyes.

“When Sara broke up with me, she said that she was too lost into the darkness to be saved, but me… I wasn’t like her at all.” he says. “I thought I was. I thought with all the torture I endured and everything I’d done in those five years, I had already become a monster. But that wasn’t the case at all. If I didn’t have you and John, then yeah, I probably would have been completely lost in the darkness. But I always had you two to pull me out.”

“Sometimes I feel like we’re not doing a good job.”

“I’m not exactly the best patient to work on." he smirks. “But it is because of you and John that I even made it this long. Even now, in this time, having the two of you by my side is the reason why I keep going. I know I can always count on your support no matter what. Especially you.”

“I will always have your back.” she declares vehemently. She may be all sorts of confused by her feelings, but that will always be a constant.

“And I will always have yours.” he smiles, a full smile, his dimples showing. “Sara told me that I needed someone to harness the light that was still inside of me, but it wasn’t her. I think at that point we both knew who she was talking about.”

“Me?”

He nods, still smiling brightly at her.

“Sara said that?”

“Sara and I are like one in the same. She knows me on another level that you might not understand first hand. She especially knows when my heart belongs to someone else.”

He takes her hand and holds it, guiding it to his chest and placing it over his heart.

“This has always belonged to you.” he says, looking into her eyes. “Even now, at this time when I don’t even realize it.”

“But how?” She asks, her fingers clenching into a fist against his chest. “How do you go from being with Sara to being in love with me? That’s what I can’t wrap my head around.”

“Because when I finally let myself open up to my feelings, I can't stop myself.” he says, so simply. “Don’t get me wrong, I still try to fight it. My fears of hurting the people I love overpower my want of happiness. That’s the reason why it takes so long for me to finally let myself go and reach for the happiness that I didn’t think I deserve. To finally let myself love you fully without fear of the danger that follows me.”

“So you’re saying your stubbornness is what’s stopping you from loving me?”

“Yes, that’s pretty much it.”

“God I want to smack you in the head sometimes.”

He lets out a huff of laughter. “I have it on good authority that it’s more than sometimes.”

She looks at him, disbelief still on her face, but unlike before, she isn't skeptical. No, this time there’s a sense of acceptance in her demeanor. She’s not fighting his claim now that he loves her.

“So are we really together in the future?”

Oliver grins. “Twenty years and counting.”

Felicity’s eyes widen at that. “So when you said we’re still partners…”

“We’re partners in every sense of the word.” he emphasizes. “We’re partners at night as Green Arrow and Overwatch, we’re partners at home as husband and wife. We’re even partners at work, in our daytime jobs.”

“Husband and wife?” Her eyes widen even more. Her mind is still processing the fact that he’s in love with her and they’re together, she didn’t really think that included being married.

“Wait, Green Arrow and Overwatch?” His other statement catches up to her. “Is that us? You’re called Green Arrow? And am I Overwatch?”

Oliver laughs again and pulls her in for a hug, as though his amusement makes him even more affectionate towards her. “Yes, honey. But you don’t have to think about that right now. That won’t be for a while.”

“How long did we wait before we got married?” She asks, letting his embrace comfort her.

“Too long.” he says with a sigh. “It was a journey for us to get there. There were a lot of heartaches along the way.”

That makes her pull back and look at him in concern. “Heartache? Why?”

“So many reasons that I really shouldn’t get into.” he says with a sad smile. “But you and I have always said that nothing worthwhile ever comes easy. And you, my love, are worth everything to me. I love you with all my heart, never doubt that.”

A soft smile plays on Felicity’s lips and she feels the tears building up again. Much like last time, her heart swells with so much love and adoration for this man. And this time, she lets it consume her.

Yes, at present Oliver is probably with another woman right now. But she lets herself sink into the fact that he _is_ going to be _her_ future. They’re together, working day and night to protect their city and they’re completely devoted to each other.

That thought overwhelms her in the best way.

“I love you too.” she finally says, earning another wide smile from him. “I think I always have.”

His smile turns knowing and she realizes that, yes, he knows that. She probably tells him in the future at some point, when they finally confess their love for each other. It kind of amuses her; here is Oliver who already has years of experience loving her whereas she’s just discovering it.

“You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now.” he declares suddenly.

Her heart starts to thud loudly and fast in her chest at that. She watches as his eyes rake over her face and land on her lips. She bites her lower lip, feeling tingles wash over her body at the anticipation.

“So why don’t you?” she asks shyly, a blush covering her cheeks.

It’s not like there’s anything to be embarrassed about. She’s sure this Oliver is already used to loving and teasing with her, but it’s still all so new to her.

“Because I don’t want to take our first kiss away from my younger self.” he says, still looking at her lovingly.

“Oh.” Reality sets in once again. Though unlike last time, it doesn't make her gut wrench. “I didn’t think of it like that.”

“I know I’m an idiot here, right now in this time, but I am an idiot who loves you.” he states. “I’d feel cheated if I took that first kiss from him, from me.”

“How is this going to work?” She asks suddenly, so many things coming to her at once, worry starting to build. “Oliver, this is like time travel 101! You’ve just revealed to me so many things about the future! You could have changed everything now!”

He lets out another sigh. “We can worry about that later. Right now, I need to focus on getting back home.”

“But-”

“Felicity, honey, I love you, but please trust me.”

She bites her lower lip again in apprehension, but nods. This is one of those instances where she knows she’s way out of her field. Oliver is the expert time traveler. And wow, she never thought that would be a thing that ever happens.

Sure, the whole time traveling thing is finally sinking in on her, but still the fact that Oliver Queen is the one with all the knowledge about it still throws her for a loop.

Felicity’s emotional spiral about her feelings for Oliver and his feelings for her dissipate slowly as they move back into the living room. She sits back down on the couch and, to her surprise, he sits down next to her, a _lot_ closer than she's used to. It takes a moment for her to adjust to his sudden proximity. He’s so close that their hips are literally pressed together.

He didn’t seem bothered by it though, doesn't seem to notice it at all. He shoots her a smile, one that reaches his eyes and places a hand on her knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze before turning his attention back to the device on the table.

The entire exchange kind of amazes her. It’s as if this Oliver has fully let go of any kind of reserve he'd previously had around her now that the truth is out.

Before, despite the fact that he let slip a few things here and there, she could tell he had been holding himself back. There were moments, while he looked at her in an affectionate way, that she saw his hands twitch as though they were reaching out to her and it was only when she was going in a spiral that he let go of his reluctance to comfort her.

Now, it seems he truly has let go of the rules and stays close to her. So close that he won't even let her move away from him. When she tries to shift back a little, to give him more room, he only shifts closer to her. It doesn't even seem as if he’s aware of it as he never takes his attention away from the device. It’s as if it’s in his instinct to be close to her, his body seeking out the presence and feel of hers constantly.

Thinking about it sends a surge of excitement through her. The fact that her and Oliver are together in the future is finally sinking in and the giddiness is back. This time, she’s letting herself feel happy and letting go of all the disbelief she’s been plagued with since he confirmed their future together.

They’re together. They’re married. They’re in love.

A small giggle of excitement escapes her and she immediately clamps her mouth shut. Oliver turns his head to look at her, a small smile on his lips, his eyes are questioning.

“Nothing,.” she says, shaking her head, though the grin on her face says otherwise. “Just… this is kind of weird.”

His brow quirks, a smirk playing on his face. “What’s weird about this? I’m your husband from the future, trying to fix my time traveling device.”

Felicity giggles again, this time feeling fee to do so.

“I’m still trying to get used to that.” she says with a sigh.

Oliver tilts his head as he looks at her questioningly. “The time traveling part or the husband part?”

“Both.” She bites her lower lip, suddenly feeling shy as he looks at her so intently.

He’s silent for a moment, his eyes raking over her features. There’s contemplation in his eyes as he looks at her and then it disappears altogether, as a smile plays on his lips.

“Come here,” he whispers, pulling her body to his.

She’d thought they couldn't get closer than they have been, but she’s mistaken. He practically pulls her on top of him, her legs laying over his lap as his arms wrap around her. There’s a brief hesitation on her end, but it washes away as she slowly gets comfortable with his affectionate actions. She sinks into his embrace, letting her head rest on his chest as her arms wrap loosely around him.

Oliver’s lips linger directly on her hairline, sneaking down for a kiss and nuzzling her hair.

“I know it’s kind of hard to believe right now.” he mumbles against her head. “But you and our family are my everything. I have never felt so much love and happiness than when I’m with you. I can’t imagine my life without you.”

She lifts her head to look at him, their faces close but she doesn't mind. In fact, she’s starting to really enjoy having him so close.

“Really?”

He nods, his head having lifted with his eyes connecting with hers. “I need you in my life, Felicity. Ever since I met you I knew I wouldn’t be able to function without you.”

That kind of makes her skeptical. She pulls back slightly to get a better look at him. “Even now, in this time?”

He lets out a low chuckle. “Yes, especially in this time.” he admits, letting his fingers play with her hair. “I think this is the time I’m starting to realize how much I need you in my life.”

She raises a brow. “You sure don’t act like it.” she says accusingly.

“I’m an idiot, remember?” He smirks again. “But trust me, honey, I’m hopeless without you. Don’t you remember how I was when you left to visit Barry after he was struck by lightning?”

“Yeah, you acted like a complete ass when I came back.”

“Because I couldn’t deal with the fact that you were gone. And… maybe I also didn’t like that you were paying more attention to Barry.”

“Because he was in a coma!” She exclaims. “Wait a minute… are you saying you were jealous?”

He only shrugs sheepishly, avoiding her eyes.

“Oh my god!” Her eyes widen at the realization.

Everything about the week of her return becomes so clear to her now. The harsh way Oliver had acted around her and his criticism about her head being in Central City. At the time, the thought of him being jealous because he had feelings for her was so out of the realm of possibilities that she hadn't even considered that it might be the case.

But now… it kind of makes sense.

“Honey, you more than anyone knows how much of an jerk I am.” Oliver continues with a groan. “I didn’t really understand myself at the time, why I was so mean to you. I just knew I didn’t like how… Barry made you laugh.”

She looks at him in disbelief, this newfound information making her feel overwhelmed.

So it really is true… he was jealous.

“Oh my god, you are so ridiculous.” she says with a giggle.

He rolls his eyes. “Yes, I know, you and Dig have told me that repeatedly.”

“Wait, Dig knows?”

“Please, Dig knows everything. I’m sure he knew about my feelings for you before I even did.”

She snorts. “You’ve got a point there.” She's pretty sure Dig's pretty aware of her feelings for Oliver too.

“The fact is.” he continues, looking in her eyes. “I have been slowly falling in love with you since the first time I met you. And because I’m a stubborn ass, it took me a really long time to realize that. So you just have to be patient with me, my love.”

Felicity bites her lip, her heart beating wildly as he continues his declaration. It certainly accelerates when he calls her ‘my love’. That’s a new moniker, but one that really makes her heart sky rocket. He says it so casually, but she can hear the heavy meaning behind it.

He loves her and they’re married. In the future, sure, but it’s a fact. She still can’t quite believe it, but she’s slowly accepting it to be true.

“Oliver, I think you know by now that I will always be there for you.” she admits. “You’re not just the man I love, you’re my friend and my partner. I will go to the ends of the earth for you because I know exactly the kind of man you are. You are the man that I believe in and I will always be here for you, stubborn ass and all.”

Oliver lets out a long sigh, his eyes closing as though he’s letting her words wash over him in comfort. There’s an almost relieved smile on his lips as he lets his forehead land against hers gently.

Felicity doesn't really understand his reaction, but she feels as though he’s just gone through a realization himself. She lets him go through his motions, caressing the back of his head. She may not fully understand what’s going on in his head, but something tells her he needs her right now.

“You know, this is kind of weird for me too.” he mumbles, still leaning against her.

Felicity’s eyes flutter to see he still has his eyes closed, still in the motion of her presence. “What’s weird for you?”

“This… us…” He finally opens his eyes and meets hers, lingering for a moment, completely losing himself in her eyes without shame. He takes her in in such an intense way, she feels as if he’s looking into her soul.

Finally Oliver pulls back, but only slightly. His face is still only a few inches from hers and they’re still completely wrapped in each other. And judging by the way Oliver has his arms tightly around her, he’s not planning on letting her go.

“You’d think I’d be used to this by now.” he says softly. “Falling in love with you all over again. It’s happened so many times now, but this time it feels different.”

“What does?”

“This.” he takes her hand and places it over his heart again. “This feels like that very moment where I truly realized just how much having you and your support made my life feel fulfilled. It’s like realizing my love for you for the first time all over again.”

“Well, welcome to the club. Now you know how I feel.” Felicity says with a chuckle.

He chuckles along with her. “I honestly didn’t expect that this would happen to me when I went out on my mission.”

“What, falling in love with your wife all over again?” She feels another surge of giggles threatening as she calls herself his wife, but she restrains herself from letting out any noise.

"Oh I fall in love with you on the daily." he declares and her heart rate starts to accelerate. "I was just thinking, when you and I were game planning before I left for this mission, how much I love you and want to marry you all over again."

He was talking in a playful tone but she can see the honesty in his eyes and that makes her fall in love with him all over again.

"But I didn't think I'd time travel to the past and see you again. I don’t exactly time travel for fun, honey.” he says with a wry smirk. “Not that time traveling is recreationally done in the future.”

She looks at him confused. “But we do time travel a lot, right? I mean, you said I made that pocket time traveling device so it would be easier for you to time travel without having to use a big machine.”

“Yeah, that device was made for me for easy travel, but not for the public masses. Hon, you watch a lot of sci-fi so you should know all the consequences of time travel. This kind of power on the wrong hands has disaster written all over it.”

Well, there goes her fantasy about New Starling City with flying cars and time travel at the touch of a button. Though, thinking about it, he does have a point. If Doctor Who has taught her anything, it’s that time travel is tricky and can retcon your favorite storylines.

“We’re the only ones who have access to this because we use it to fight off villains who have the ability to time travel.” he continues. “But as far as the public knows, time travel is still something that can only be done with a TARDIS.”

Her eyes lights up in delight at his reference. “Wait, you watch Doctor Who?”

“I think you would have divorced me if I didn’t.” he says with a laugh. “Many of our date nights included eating dinner on our couch and marathoning Doctor Who.”

“That sounds like a perfect date.” she says with a dreamy sigh.

“It is. We just had that date last night. Well, for me anyways.”

“I’m glad my love for Doctor Who doesn’t fade and I’ve made a fan out of you.”

“Watching that show certainly made the time traveling make a whole lot more sense to me when we started to do it.” he shrugs. “And I don’t think you could ever get over that show, especially after the 13th Doctor.”

Felicity gasps. “There’s gonna be a 13th Doctor?! I’ve barely started processing Eleven’s regeneration because I’m still not over Ten! And yes, I know it’s been three years, but come on, it’s David Tennant!”

Oliver chuckles again. “Oh, you have no idea how many times I’ve heard this rant. It never gets old.”

“I’m glad I’m so entertaining to you.” she pouts.

He shakes her head, his amused smile still in place. “Trust me, you’re adorable.” he says before placing a kiss on her forehead. “Being back here, in this time has made me realize a lot about how I was in the past. I still can’t believe you even gave me a chance. Hell, I still can’t believe that you’re with me after 20 years.”

“Sounds to me like you’ve gone through a bit of self discovery yourself.” she says softly. “But then again, I always knew you’d be worth it.”

He smiles at her, peppering small kisses on her cheeks before pulling back. “You’ve always seen the best in me, it just took me a while to see it for myself. I can never thank you enough for always being with me, my love.”

Felicity bites the bottom of her lip, keeping herself from the sob that wants to escape. As much as she feels her heart fluttering inside her body at his affectionate words, there’s also this burning want inside her that can’t wait for all of this to happen. She’s so ready to be with Oliver, knowing how their future is going to be, that she just wants to forget about everything else and be with him.

In fact, being with his future self makes her wants to throw caution to the wind now and be with him.

“Which is why I need to get this fixed.” Oliver adds with a sigh.

And that just burst her bubble.

“As much as I want to stay snuggled up with you, I really have to get this thing working again,” he gestures to the mess on the table. “Because I really want to get back home and be with you, future you, again.”

“Okay.” She gives him a small nod before untangling herself from him.

It’s just as well that he reminds her of reality. They’re not together yet. This Oliver’s who’s been saying sweet things to her already has his Felicity. Though it’s technically herself in the future, it’s still not her yet.

She needs to remind herself to stay grounded in reality. Even though a wash of disappointment courses through her, she ignores it as she watches him. They’re still close together, just as they were when they sat down. Oliver leans forward to continue his work on the device and Felicity lets herself be close to him.

It’s kind of amazing how comfortable she feels now. Whereas before, this was still an unknown territory for her. Now, she doesn’t hesitate. She lets herself be open around him. She doesn't know what it is. Maybe it’s because she also feels his openness towards her. The kind of open affection he’s showing her makes her feel comfortable enough to be just as affectionate to him.

It’s still mind boggling to know that they’re together, that they’re married. But after having the conversation with Oliver, and getting a peek into his heart, she feels more at ease now. Around him, she knows she can be herself and let her heart be so open to him, to anyone really.

Felicity truly never thought she’d ever experience that again. Not after what happened with Cooper. But something about the way she feels with Oliver is different. It feels _more_. Of course, she knows this isn’t a thing yet. The feelings she’s going through right now are a projection created by this Oliver who’s from the future, who’s married to her future self. But knowing this is what waits for her, she can’t help but feel excited.

This is her future and she can’t wait to experience it.


	4. Part Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Oliver to go back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we've finally come to the final chapter. I honestly did not realize how long this was gonna take. Honest to god this was intended to be a oneshot in response to the Olicity Hiatus Ficathon prompt, but it just had a life of it's own! So much so that it's practically consumed my muse, as evident to the fact that I haven't been able to participate in OHFAT for the past couple of weeks. Also, all of your response to this has just been incredible and something I honestly did not expect. Thank you all so much for embracing this story the way that you did!
> 
> As always, a very big thanks to [@intolauren](http://archiveofourown.org/users/intolauren) for being my beta and all around awesome cheerleader. Without you, this story would just be an incoherent mess!

 

Felicity feels more at ease now as she watches Oliver continue his fidgeting with the device. It’s kind of amazing how comfortable she is around him. Whereas before there was an air of uncertainty and disbelief; now it just feels normal. This feels like any other night down at the foundry, the two of them working and coexisting around each other.

Except this time they’re in her apartment and they’re practically snuggled up on the couch. And this is Oliver from the future. Yeah, that’s still weird to think about, but the longer she’s around him, the longer she just thinks of him as Oliver.

Oliver who she loves and she knows loves her back.

She slips sometimes. The lines between present and future blurring in her head. Like right now as she’s seated next to him on her couch, her head laying on his shoulder and her arms wrapped around his waist. He doesn't mind though. In fact, it’s as though he prefers it. There are a few times when he has to shift to grab a tool and she loosens her grip on him or pulls away to give him room to move, only to have him pull her back.

It seems he needs her beside him as much as she wants to be beside him.

The thought sends a thrill up Felicity’s spine and a giddy smile spreads on her lips. She could definitely get use to this. At this moment, he isn’t Oliver from the future who’s going to leave her some time soon to be with her future self. Right now, he’s her Oliver and she feels complete.

“I’m still kind of amazed that you know a lot about this stuff.” Felicity voices, watching as he dissembles the very complex looking device.

It’s been really fascinating watching as he expertly takes the thing apart, poking and prodding it with the tools in hand. It isn't just watching him work on the device, although she does love watching him work with his hands. There’s something so attractive about him being so concentrated that everything else vanishes around him. But she’s also captivated by the device itself.

From her vantage point, she can see just how intricate this piece of tech is. She’s practically salivating at the chance to get a closer look at it. But Oliver is so focused on it that she doesn't want to disrupt him. Though, that’s not stopping her from studying it from where she can see. From what she can gather, this tech is so advanced even she can’t fully comprehend it.

Engineering isn’t a new thing to her. Heck, she’s been building computers since she was seven. She also likes to disassemble a couple of her appliances and electronic devices whenever she’s bored or trying to keep her mind occupied. She knows how wires work. But the one in front of her is something she’s not quite familiar with. Yes, there are components that are the same, but the intricacy of it all has her mind boggled.

But here’s Oliver, working this piece of tech like he invented it.

“Well I’ve seen you work this thing so many times, I’ve picked up a few things here and there.” he responds, never taking his attention away from the device. Though she can hear the smile on his voice.

“Besides, you literally sat me down one night while you built it and explained each and every part of it.” he finishes, turning his head to look at her, the smile on his face is wide as she watches the memory playing in his eyes.

Felicity can't look away. His eyes are mesmerizing and he looks so…content. “I did?”

His grin widens. “Mh-hm. It was after you finished the first, successful prototype. You built another one and showed me how. You were so excited, you didn’t even realize that I barely understood a word you were saying.”

He lets out a little laugh as he recalls the memory. She smiles hearing his joyful laughter, but there’s a stuttering of her heart inside her. Just like that, her fantasy is broken. Again.

“But like I said, years of being around you and hearing you talk tech means I picked up a few things here and there.” he continues. “And after using this a couple of times, I finally got the gist of it.”

A fond smile plays on his lips, probably still recalling those moments, and Felicity pulls away from his shoulder, leaning back away from him.

Moments like this, where Oliver mentions things about the future that he and future Felicity go through, brings her back to reality and it breaks her heart a little every time. This is where she has to keep reminding herself that they’re not together yet. This isn’t the Oliver that she’ll be working with tomorrow. This Oliver will probably be long gone by then.

Whenever reality sets in, Felicity tries to tell herself not to be so foolish. She’s known that this can’t last. She has yet to experience the kind of journey this Oliver talks about. However, even though she gets butterflies in her stomach whenever she finds out new information about their future, the thought of her having to wait to be with him makes her impatient. Being with Oliver now has made her want to skip all the journey that he’s talked about and go straight to the cuddling (and the kissing).

But she knows that’s not how this goes.

As always, Oliver feels her distance and leans back as well, turning his head to look at her.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Huh… yeah.” she smiles, trying not to look as sad as she feels. “Yeah I’m just… still impressed by your engineering skills.”

He tilts his head, giving her a look that says he doesn’t believe her. “Hon… what’s wrong?”

She lets out a sigh. “I guess it’s just sinking in that you’re gonna be gone soon.” Her eyes dart back to the device that he’s placed back down on the table, then back to his. “I mean, I just got used to the whole time traveling thing and us being married thing and then you’re gonna be gone. And I’m gonna have to go back to my life and pretend like all this never happened.”

Oliver purses his lips, looking at her as though he’s also just realized this. He takes her hand in his and squeezes it tight.

“I mean, how am I supposed to go into work tomorrow morning and look at you in the eyes and not say anything?” She continues, her worries now starting to spill out. “And don’t even get me started how absurd it’s gonna sound. ‘Hey Oliver, guess what. Your future self showed up at my apartment last night and told me we’re gonna be married. And that time traveling exists.’ Yeah, sure, if I didn’t sound like a dork before, he's definitely gonna have me committed if I say that.”

Oliver continues to hold her hand tightly as his other rubs her knee comfortingly. His lips are still pursed, now looking like he didn’t want to interrupt. Whenever Felicity starts a tangent like this, especially when she’s upset, he seems to understand that it’s best to let her continue until she let it all out.

“And how am I supposed to watch you and Sara be together?” She cries. “Now that I’ve finally let myself feel like this, let my heart be open to you, I can’t just turn it off! And if I see you and Sara together it’s just gonna break me! I can’t do this Oliver, I just can’t!”

“Hey, hey, shhh.”

Finally, Oliver pulls her in his arms. He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t try to make her feel better with lies and empty words. He just caresses her back gently and lets her tears fall.

“How am I supposed to go on after this?” Felicity says in a low murmur after her sobs have reduced.

“I don’t know.” he whispers with such regret in his tone.

Felicity lets out a sigh and pulls back from his embrace. Her eyes are red and her face is wet. Oliver takes cups her face, his thumb brushing over her cheeks, wiping her tears away.

“I’m sorry, honey, I never meant for this to happen.” he says. “I know it was stupid of me to tell you these things about the future, especially when it hasn’t happened yet. But I just… I can never lie to you.”

“Even if it means changing the future?” She asks. “Because Oliver, you’re the time traveler, you should know that spilling things like that to someone in the past can change things for you. I mean, I can keep a secret, but what if me knowing changes things? What if I do or say something that can prevent us from being together?”

“Honey, that will never happen.”

“But how can you know? I mean… yeah you’re the guy from the future so you know… a lot. But you just told me these things and now, who knows what you’re gonna go home to!”

“Felicity, I know this is hard to believe right now, but trust me when I tell you everything is gonna be okay.”

“But-”

“Please, honey.” he interrupts. “Please, you have to know that I would never do anything to jeopardize our future. I know it’s kind of hard to believe right now, but I can assure you I’m gonna do everything I can to make sure our future is still as it is when I left. Me telling you everything… it was a stupid move on my part, yes. But that is not gonna take away the journey we go through.”

“But how? Oliver you just dropped so many huge bombshells on me. There is no way I can ever act normal after knowing all of that. What if me acting strange is gonna change the course of events and prevents us from getting together or from being the Arrow and Overlook?”

“Over _watch_ , honey, and that will never happen.” he says reassuringly, his thumb rubbing back and forth against her cheek. “Trust me, the one thing I know for certain is that no matter what happens, you and I always find our way to each other.”

She snorts. “Is this some sort of cheesy ‘we’re meant to be’ message?”

“Actually, yeah.”

She quirks her brow at him, clearly still in disbelief.

He just smiles at her in that loving way, yet his eyes are playful. “Impossible discoveries, hon. Just open your mind to it and it most likely happens in the future.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Let’s just say I saw a couple of different directions of what our lives could have been like. If I hadn’t gotten on the Gambit or if you never worked at Queen Consolidated. And I can honestly say, all those different paths still lead us to each other. So I know for certain, that no matter what happens to us, we will still find our way to each other.”

Her brows knit together in confusion. “I still don’t understand.”

“You don’t have to right now.” he assures her. “But just know, even if our journey goes a little differently than what I went through, it will still lead us to the same destination. With you and me together, with our family and being the partners we always are.”

Felicity bites the bottom of her lip, an internal battle in her head. There are still so many concerns that are crossing her head but the promising way he’s looking at her, and the comfort his presence gives her, makes her want to trust him.

“Okay.” she sighs. “But I just- I mean- I still want to make sure I don’t act like I’ve just spent the night with you. I mean… not that we’re doing anything scandalous. Well…right now we kind of look like two people who aren’t platonic at all.”

He chuckles. “Felicity, I don’t think we’ve ever been platonic anything.”

She blushes. “But still… I want to act normal. Tell me how I’m supposed to be when I’m around you? Because I honestly don’t know how to do that anymore. How to be around you and not immediately think you’re gonna be my husband or… I don’t know, hug you.”

“I’m pretty sure myself in this time wouldn’t mind a hug,” he smirks.

“I’m serious here, Oliver!” She gives him a slap on the shoulder. “I don’t want to mess this up, mess _us_ up! Tell me what to do here?”

“Okay, fine.” he chuckles. “You want to know what you were like during this time?”

“Yes.”

“You were my friend.” He says in a serious tone. “My past is coming back to haunt me, Felicity, and through it all you were there. You stood by my side during the day at work, at night in the foundry, even when I was having trouble with my family. You were there for me through it all.”

His hand moves to her hair, running through the strands.

“In my lowest moments, when I was ready to call defeat, you were there for me. I was… at a loss for any kind of hope. I thought I failed and I was ready to give up. The city was in shambles and it just reminded me of everything and everyone that I lost. But then you were there. You… well you yelled at me.”

She snorts and the two share a smile.

“You told me I wasn’t done fighting. That the city needed me and I had helped a lot by putting away the people who had tried to hurt it before. Everything looked impossible at that moment, but you didn’t give up on me. You told me you knew two things; that I wasn’t alone and that you believed in me. And I swear, with you by my side, I felt like I could do anything.”

Felicity feels breathless at the depth of his words. This hasn’t happened yet but she believes in them so much, deep in her bones. It’s something she can see herself telling him and something she feels right now. She believes in him wholeheartedly and she knows deep in her heart she will always be by his side.

“I guess I can manage that.” she says in a teasing tone, though her eyes are glassy with tears starting to build up. “It’s not like I haven’t been doing that all this time.”

He grins again and brings her in for an embrace. “Always be yourself, Felicity.”

“I’ll try.” she jokes as they pulled apart.

She feels better now, feels reassured by him. She still feels a pang knowing that she’ll have to live her life like she doesn’t feel anything for Oliver, but she will. Knowing what her future will be like, she would do anything to get to that.

“I guess we better get you back to your time then.”

She gestures her head towards the device.

“Yeah, I definitely need to get on that.” Oliver sighs, sounding more like a groan. He finally lets go of his hold on her, still sitting close to her, and turns his attention back to the table.

“Are you even close to fixing that thing?” Felicity asks, watching as he looks at the device. “You’ve been working on it for like, almost three hours now.”

“I know what I’m doing.” he huffs.

“Hey, I trust you. You’re the one with the time travel knowledge here. It’s just taking a little bit long, is all.”

“It’s a little bit more complicated than fixing the wires, honey. The meta burned a couple of the pieces, which is kind of making it impossible for me fix it properly. But…”

He looks at the device closely again and does… something. Felicity can't tell what he does, but a compartment opens.

“Aha!”

“Aha, what?”

“I may not be able to travel with this thing again, but I think I can use it to send a signal back to HQ.”

“A signal? What’s that gonna do?”

“It’s gonna let them know, well let _you_ know in the future, where I am so you can come pick me up.”

She quirks a brow. “So… like turning this into a cell phone?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” he shrugs. “Now all I need to do is open this up, but I don’t…”

His words trail off as he continues to inspect the device. Felicity waits for him to continue, still enthralled by the whole procedure. Now that her emotional turmoil has rested, she’s back to trying to figure out the whole time traveling thing.

To know that such a complex device exists excites her. Knowing that she’s part of the discovery also scares her, but in a good way. She wants to soak up as much as she can about this. Now that her mind isn’t muddled by Oliver and their future, she wants to know more about what he’s doing to the device.

“Okay, I think I got it.” Oliver suddenly announces.

He puts down the device on the table again, before leaning down and pulling something from the floor. Seeing it Felicity freezes. It’s a familiar looking shoe box that she hasn’t seen in years, not since she moved in this apartment.

“Where did you get that?” Her voice shakes a little.

Oliver must hear the change in her tone because he looks at her questioningly at first. But then he follows her eyes which are looking at the shoe box in his hand.

“Oh… this, right.” He purses his lips for a moment, trying to decipher what to say. “It was in your drawer. There’s a screwdriver in here, one that’s the perfect size to work on the device.”

“How do you know that? How would you even know about that at all?”

Her voice isn't upset, it’s confused. And it’s understandable.

“Because you told me about it.” he sighs. “These are the tools that Noah left you, right?”

She nods numbly, not knowing what to make of this new information. That shoe box holds all the things that her father left her, his specialized tools. What makes them special is that they were tools he specifically remastered to help him create some pretty innovative and intricate things. They're the only things she has left of him.

Felicity hasn’t looked inside that box since she was a kid. She can’t even fully remember all the bits that are in there now. She keeps it hidden in the back of her drawer and forgets all about it.

So how the hell does Oliver know about it?

“You know who my dad is?” Her thoughts finally catch up to her.

“Twenty years, Felicity,” is all he says.

He has a point. Twenty years together, he’s bound to find out about her past. It scares her to think of Oliver uncovering all of her secrets. Then again, that must mean her future self uncovers all of his too.

“So you probably know that he’s not a good man?”

“Hey, I don’t exactly have room to judge considering who my parents were. Not to mention my own past.”

“I just… I never thought you’d know anything about him.” she admits. “He’s been out of my life for so long that even I forget about him sometimes, you know?”

“Hon, he may not have been the best father, but he still loves you. That’s something the two of us have in common.”

Her eyes snap to meet his. “You’ve met him?”

“I have, a couple of times, yeah.”

“But... How? Why?”

“You know I can’t tell you that.” he says regretfully. “But just know, that I’m on your side too. Always.”

Felicity bites her lower lip. It doesn't sound like it’s a good interaction. Whatever must happen in the future with her father can't be good. But she doesn’t want to think about the havoc Noah brings them, not right now.

Right now she wants to focus on what’s happening here.

“When you started to tinker with your own version of a vortex manipulator, you mainly used the tools from this.” he explains, opening the lid on the box. “So now, I'm going to see if I can use them to turn this into a homing device.”

And Oliver does.

 

* * *

 

It’s been about twenty minutes now since Oliver managed to successfully send a message to his time to let them know where he is. Or so he says. Felicity can’t know for sure if he was successful since she doesn't know how the whole sending messages through time thing works. She just has to trust in him that he’s right.

In the time since then, they’ve cleaned up the place, per Oliver’s insistence. He put back all of the tools he took into their rightful place. He tidied up the tablet in her room and any mess he created when he was hiding in there. He even washed the dishes!

Felicity doesn't know why he was so focused on cleaning. She told him she could do it in the morning, but he insisted. He also wore a pained look on his face whenever she mentioned tomorrow.

It saddens her too, thinking about how she’ll have to wake up in the morning with all the knowledge about the future and not be able to do anything about it. But something tells her future Oliver isn’t sad about that. After all, why would he be? He’s going back home to that very future she wants to live in now.

Right now they’re back to sitting on the couch, this time fully cuddled into each other. Oliver has practically cocooned her in his embrace, rarely letting her move away. She doesn't mind, she rather likes being in the safety of his arms. Besides, she wants to soak up as much time with him as possible.

They don't talk much, wanting to get lost in their peaceful bubble that could very well burst any minute.

That minute, happens to be now.

Everything seems to happen at once. Felicity hears the whooshing sound before she feels it. A gush of air comes through her living room before a streak of lightning appears out of nowhere. She yelps when it’s followed by a figure in red just materializing in the middle of her living room.

Oliver doesn't seem too concerned. He keeps his hold on her, tightening when he feels her jump, but he looks completely unphased by the man in red who stands in front of them.

“Is there any particular reason why you specifically had me pick you up 40 minutes after you sent the signal?” The man in red asks as he looks around the room. Then his eyes zero in on them on the couch. “Oh… I get it now.” he says in a wry tone.

Felicity can't place it but she feels as though she knows that voice.

“What are you doing here?” Oliver asks, sounding a bit disgruntled. He starts to sit up, making Felicity falls from his embrace a little, though they’re still attached to each other, her leaning against his side.

“Uh, picking you up. Cause you’re, you know, stuck in the past?”

“Yeah, but I figured either Wally or Sara would pick me up, not you.”

“I’m hurt.” he deadpans. “This is the last time I do a favor for Felicity.”

“Felicity told you to pick me up?”

“Yeah, she wanted to make sure you got home in one piece.”

“And she thought you were the one for the job?”

“Wow, real nice, Ollie. We’ll see if you can get yourself home now. I’ll just go tell Felicity that you didn’t want to come back cause you were too busy canoodling with her younger self.”

“You leave without me and I make sure you never come out of that coma.”

“Wait… Barry?” Felicity says, her eyes widening.

Everything finally clicks into place. This man in front of her, dressed in a red body suit complete with a mask that covers the top half of his face, is Barry Allen. He’s slightly larger than when she last saw him, definitely more defined body. Not as bulky as Oliver, but it’s obvious this Barry has packed on more muscles.

He looks older too, much like the Oliver next to her. Though most of his face is covered, she can distinctly see a few lines on the parts of his face that are exposed. Then there’s his voice. It’s deeper now, but she can still hear the Barry she knows in there.

“Hey Felicity.” he waves at her, a sheepish smile on her face.

“What are you wearing?”

“Uuhh…” He looks down at his attire. Next to her, Oliver lets out a snort to which Barry sends him a glare. “It’ll make sense in a couple of months.” he says, simply.

Felicity has to blink a couple more times, making sure she’s seeing things correctly. Even though the image in front of her doesn't change, it still takes her a while to process it.

“I am so confused right now.”

“Hon, like I told you, a lot of things happen in the future. One of them being Barry.”

“Where he dresses up in a red bodysuit and appears out of nowhere?”

Barry sighs in exasperation. “Again, it’s gonna make sense in a couple of months.”

Felicity looks at him in an analyzing manner, still processing his appearance. “And… what? You two are friends also?” She turns to look at Oliver. “You pretty much bit his head off last time you saw him. Well, in this time anyways. And you just told me it was because you were jealous.”

“He grows on you.” Oliver shrugs.

“Oh please, I’m your best friend and you know it.” Barry interjects.

“Correction, Felicity’s my best friend.” he says, matter of factly. “Followed by Dig and my sister. You’re someone I tolerate, Barry.”

“He’s lying.” Barry says to Felicity. “He actually has a soft spot for me. Especially since, ya know, I saved your wedding and all.”

Oliver rolls his eyes. “You hardly saved anything. We were gonna go through the wedding either way.”

“Yeah, but if it wasn’t for me quickly decorating your bunker to make it look like an actual wedding, you’d look like you got married in a warzone.”

“I’m pretty sure Kara and Wally also had a help in that.” Oliver deadpans.

“You were at our wedding?” Felicity finally pipes up, catching up with their banter.

She's both amused and intrigued by their interaction. The last time _she_ saw Barry, Oliver wasn’t much of a fan, yet now they’re squabbling like siblings. And then Barry mentioning their wedding is something that makes her stomach flutter; it finally dawns on her just how much has yet to happen in the future. And it seems Barry is part of it too.

“He was our ring bearer.” Oliver mumbles with a smirk.

Barry groans. “Stop calling me that. You should be more thankful that I had my abilities since you forgot the wedding rings at your place and I was able to grab them.”

“Hence, the ring bearer.”

“See, this is the thanks I get for being a good friend.” he says exasperatedly.

Felicity can't help the grin that spreads on her lips as she watches the two. It still confuses her, the kind of comradre they somehow fall into, but it’s such a feat to witness them jesting each other.

“Wow, if I had known the two of you would such good friends, I’d have forced Oliver to be nicer to you.” she manages to interject.

“Oh trust me, Felicity, the road to Oliver and I being friends is a painful one.”

Oliver narrows his eyes at him. “Are you still talking about the arrow thing?”

“Two arrows, Ollie! You shot me in the back with two arrows! I can still feel them!”

“You shot him with arrows?” Felicity looks at Oliver in a scolding manner.

“It was for training purposes, hon.” Oliver replies, immediately giving her an apologetic, sheepish look. One that he always gives her when he’s trying to get on her good graces after doing something she doesn't particularly like.

“Training like you did with Roy? He doesn’t have mirakuru, Oliver!”

“No but he might as well have.”

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing. It’ll make sense in a coup-"

“Couple of months, yeah.” she finishes his sentence with a roll of her eyes. “Whatever that means.”

“So this is why you had me bring the pills.” Barry interrupts again, though this time giving Oliver a knowing look. “I gotta say, I was surprised when we got your message. We weren’t sure if we actually understood it correctly to be honest.”

“It was kind of unavoidable.” Oliver sighs.

They’re still seated on the sofa, his hand on her knee still, squeezing it as though sharing something that’s just between them.

“Really? Mr. Always Keep the Timeline in Check?” Barry gives him a sardonic look. “You’ve literally gone back in time and crossed paths with Tommy and Laurel, your parents even! And not once were you tempted to show yourself to them or even look at them! But with Felicity, you pretty much spill everything about the future.”

“It wasn’t my fault.” Oliver objects. “She found me. What was I supposed to tell her? That I aged rapidly since the last time she saw me in this time?”

“Wait, what happens to Laurel?” She asks quietly, her mind grasping onto what Barry had just slipped.

Oliver’s hand squeezes her knee tightly and he gives her a sad smile. “Nothing good.” he says with a sigh. “But it’s something that I’ve made peace with.”

Felicity can't help the worry that seeped through her. Oliver doesn’t look that affected, clearly already having accepted the events that have happened in his life. But there’s a gut churning feeling in her stomach at the thought of the heartbreak that’s coming to him.

“You really can’t help yourself, can you?” Barry’s voice breaks them from their little moment.

“You know I can never lie to her.” Oliver casts an exasperated glance at him.

He snorts in response. “Felicity is gonna have a field day with this when we get back.”

“Stop poking fun.” Oliver grumbles, finally standing up from the sofa. “Did you bring it or not?”

“You’re lucky I actually decided to bring it, just in case.” Barry pulls something out from his suit and hands it to him. “Otherwise, this wouldn’t end well at all. Good thinking about the pill.”

“I learned from your mistakes.” he retorts.

“What’s going on?” Felicity’s voice breaks their banter once again. She, too, stands from the sofa and watches the two with curiosity. “What did he bring?”

Oliver lets out a sigh and turns to her remorsefully. He steps closer to stand in front of her, never taking his eyes off her. The look on his face makes her worry, seeing sadness behind his eyes.

“This.” he says, holding up his hand. Held between his fingers is a tube that contains pills inside. “It’s to ensure our future together.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a retcon pill.”

This time, Felicity’s brows shoot up to her hairline at the name. She looks at Oliver, her eyes demanding an explanation.

Oliver gives her a small smile. “Technically it’s an amnesia pill, but you like to call it a retcon pill, because it sounds more Torchwood.”

She can't help but smile at that. Leave it to her to be even more of a dork when it comes to this stuff... But then it dawns on her, what this pill means.

“Wait, are you saying…?”

“Yeah.”

A wave of disappointment washes through her. Her first instinct is to fight him, argue that she doesn't want to take the pill. That she refuses to. These past couple of hours have been so precious to her. She would do anything to keep those memories with her.

But then logic kicks in. All her worries about her future not following through as Oliver has described comes back. This is exactly what she had been concerned with just moments ago and Oliver had assured her there was nothing to worry about. She supposes he's definitely right now.

“This will erase your memories from the past couple of hours.” Oliver explains. “It also has a mild sedative so it’ll knock you out for a while. Tomorrow morning, when you wake up, if you have any sort of memory from this, it’ll be like it was just a dream.”

Felicity inhales a shaky breath as she tries not to let her tears fall. She knows she must do this; it’s the only way to ensure that she’ll have the future she was just privy to. But there’s still a big part of her heart that completely dreads it.

Oliver knows it too. She can see in his eyes that it pains him just as much to erase her memories. That sort of makes her feel better, to know that he dreads it as much as her. But it still leaves sadness in her heart.

“You knew you were gonna do this.”

He nods regretfully.

“All that talk about making sure our future is still the same even with me knowing, you knew you were gonna have me take this pill.”

“I regret so much having to take this away from you.” he says, his voice thick with emotion. “Barry is right, I couldn’t help myself. I’ve always been a little selfish when it comes to you. But this is the only way to make it right. To make sure that the future I know stays the same.”

Felicity lets out a resigned sigh. This may be the first time she’s encountered any of this, but she’s seen enough TV to know the repercussions of knowing too much about the future. The logistics and plausibility of it still may not make sense right now, but she trusts Oliver’s judgement in this case. Besides, having seen those time traveling shows one too many times, she knows that this is the fastest and easiest way for her to return to her normal life.

He uncaps the tube and pours out one pill on his palm. She picks up the pill and looks at it. It’s small, round and white. It’s like any other kind of medication she has. It looks completely harmless, but she can imagine the kind of damage it will do to her.

“I don’t want to lose this.” she admits, her tears finally shedding as her eyes connect with his once again.

“I know.” he whispers in response. He cups her cheek, caressing her face gently as he leans his forehead against hers.

“I don’t want to forget you.”

“You won’t. I’m still here, remember? And I’m gonna need you.” he says with sureness. “Tomorrow morning, when you wake up, I’m gonna call you because Isabel set up another meeting without me knowing. And you, my Girl Wednesday, are there for me as always.”

“But what about us? I don’t want to forget that.”

“Oh honey, there is nothing about us that will be forgotten. This is only the beginning. We’ve got a long journey ahead, but it’s gonna be worth it.”

Felicity takes in another shaky breath, this time mentally preparing herself. She takes the pill in her hand and quickly swallows it without hesitation. She’s still shaking, her tears falling, but she’s accepted what is to come.

The moment she swallows the pill, Oliver pulls her into his arms in a tight embrace. He caresses her back soothingly as Felicity sobs quietly against his chest. It only takes a couple of moments before Felicity succumbs to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Felicity wakes with a jolt, her eyes snapping open. She looks around, the familiar sight of her room still fuzzy from her sleep, and her lack of glasses. Nothing looks out of the ordinary so why does she feel…strange?

She knows she didn't have a weird dream. In fact, she can't even remember what her dream was about last night. But there’s a pang in her heart; it feels like she just lost something important to her, she just doesn't know what.

Feeling an unusual wave of energy, she gets up from her bed, but instead of going straight to her bathroom like usual, she walks over to her dresser. She doesn't know why she’s compelled to do that, she just feels the need to inspect it.

Whatever her reason was, there’s no need. Everything looks exactly as it did since she last saw her dresser. Nothing out of place or anything.

But… Felicity’s eyes catch the familiar shoe box that is currently on the floor by her dresser.

Weird, how did it get there?

As far as she remembers, she has never taken that thing out since she moved into this place.

Leaning down, she picks up the box and looks at it. She feels the familiar pull in her heart that she experiences whenever she thinks about her father but it’s manageable now that she’s an adult. It’s been so long since she last thought about Noah, it barely hurts anymore.

She opens the lid and takes a look inside. It’s still the same tools she remembers from her childhood. She hasn’t used them at all, they're just a keepsake of person she once knew. But looking at them now, she can’t help but admire them. Let it be known that Noah is a brilliant man who knows how to create brilliant things.

Felicity is still inspecting the things in the box when her phone starts ringing. She puts the box down on the top of her dresser and walks over to her side table to pick up the phone.

“Hello, Oliver?” Of course, who else would call her this early in the morning? “Isabel did what now? … Okay, okay. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Felicity hangs up the call and stares at her phone for a moment. She knows she should start getting ready for whatever Isabel has planned; they need to be prepared to retaliate. But something is just… weird. The strange feeling she’s been getting since she woke up is back. When Oliver mentioned Isabel’s name, a wave of déjà vu washed through her.

Strange indeed.

It takes a couple of moments before Felicity finally shakes away the thoughts. She needs to get ready and go to the office.

It’s business as usual.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I would like to thank you all for reading and for embracing this fic. I hope this ending satisfied you all. I know it may not be what everyone expected it to be, but this has always been the intention from the get go. I always wanted this to be a possible moment that could live in canon, by having Felicity completely forget it ever happened. Hence, why it was always supposed to be a oneshot (but i'm a wordy b*tch and I get too descriptive with emotions). Btw, if you're confused about the retcon pill, they used this same technique in LoT 1x12 I believe, where Sara gave one to Lance. 
> 
> To be honest, the whole idea of older Oliver popping back in the past and encountering s2 Felicity is a concept that has been running in my head for the better part of the year. That idea was on a much larger scheme because not only did it have future!Oliver pretty much flirting with s2!Felicity, but the team finding out about his existence and then also a cameo with future team arrow, including future!Felicity. It was so big and elaborate, but something that I really couldn't handle writing at the moment. So this prompt has helped me dial it back down to this simple concept (even though it did turn bigger than I expected)
> 
> BUT just because I couldn't write that big, elaborate story, doesn't mean YOU guys can't ;) Please feel free to take this idea and run wild with it! I encourage you to do so. In fact I INSIST because I so badly want to read that!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked this. Kudos and comments are always welcome!
> 
> If you want to say hi, or give me a prompt, come to my tumblr: [bokayjunkie](http://bokayjunkie.tumblr.com/)


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